George Balch

George Balch (3 January 1821-18 April 1908) was a Rear Admiral of the US Navy during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.

Biography
George Balch was born in Shelbyville, Tennessee on 3 January 1821, and he joined the US Navy in 1837. After graduating from the naval academy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1843, he rose to the rank of Midshipman, and he served on the steamer Princeton during the Mexican-American War, taking part in the August 1846 assault on Alvarado and the 9 March 1847 landing of Winfield Scott's army at Veracruz. He served in the Mediterranean and in the East Indies during the 1850s, taking part in Matthew Perry's opening of Japan in 1854. On 16 July 1862, he was promoted to Commander, and he was sent to the South Atlantic Squadron during the American Civil War. His flotilla assisted the land forces by bombarding coastal batteries, and his flotilla also sunk or captured several Confederate States Navy ships while his flotilla ran the Union blockade. On 25 July 1866, he was promoted to Captain, followed by a promotion to Commodore on 13 August 1872 and to Rear Admiral on 5 June 1878. Balch commanded the Pacific Squadron from 1881 until his 1883 retirement, and he died in Raleigh, North Carolina on 18 April 1908 at the age of 87.